2010-2020 Achievements

2010-2011

July 2010 – Launch of WaterLex
Sept 2010 – WaterLex organizes in partnership with ACRA, Both ENDS, Swedish Water House, UNDP and UNESCO Etxea its first side event on the “Human Right to Water and Water Quality: a case based approach”
March 2011 – WaterLex is mandated to assist as an expert in the UNECE and WHO compilation of good practices on equitable access to water in the Pan-European Region (Link)
2011 – Finalization of the Funding Appeal 2012-2014 (Download)

March 2012 – Launch of the WaterLex Legal Database and Legal Sources Book on the Human Right to Water and Sanitation, and launch of the ToolKit for Water Cooperation and Development Practitioners on how to embed respect for human rights in operations – Presentation of the 2012 release at the 6th World Water Forum in Marseille in Partnership with SDC and AGUASAN (Link).
July 2012 – Adoption by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) – – charged by African States to protect, promote and interpret the Rights recognized by the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights – of its resolution 224 on a Human Rights-Based Approach to Natural Resources Governance – CHPR/Res.224(LI)2012 based on a WaterLex draft.

March 2013 – WaterLex conducts a training workshop for Pan-African Parliamentarians in Addis Ababa
April 2013 – WaterLex invited to Kiev by the Global Water Partnership (GWP) to provide input into its Strategy 2020
June 2013 – WaterLex presents paper on human rights and corruption at the 1st International Water Integrity Forum at UNESCO-IHE, Delft.
Sept 2013 – WaterLex becomes a UN Water Partner

March 2014 – WaterLex and Hungarian National Human Rights Institution (Ombudsman for Future Generations) present the NHRI Water Initiative to NHRIs in a side event to the International Coordinating Committee (ICC) of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI).
May 2014 – WaterLex is granted special consultative status with the UN Economic Social Council (ECOSOC). This consultative status is also obtained with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

Jan 2015 – Adoption by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) of its resolution (Ref. C-II/132/DR) on Shaping a new system of water governance: promoting parliamentary action on water (Resolution) – with WaterLex advising and supporting the two co-chairs MP I. Cassis (Switzerland) and MP J. Mwiimbu (Zambia) with the drafting of the resolution (Resolution)
Feb 2015 – Adoption by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) of its resolution on the right to water ACHPR resolution 300 (ref. ACHPR/Res.300(EXT.OS/XVII)2015 – based on a WaterLex draft.
Aug 2015 – Launch of the training manual on a Human Rights-based Approach (HRBA) to Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in partnership with UNDP Cap-net, Redica and the UNDP Water Governance Facility (based at SIWI)

May 2016 – WaterLex supporting the Inter-Parliamentary Union with the Launch of the first Roundtable for Water and Peace in the Middle East (Link on the event / WaterLex presentation).
August 2016 – After a year of incubation in the framework of the WaterLex Business & Human Rights Programme, official launch of Waterpreneurs as an autonomous entity at the Stockholm Water Week – to foster interactions between global and local players from the private sector, public sector and civil society to create opportunities and attract finance for innovative impactful local solutions (Link)

Feb 2017 – UNICEF and WaterLex co-host the “HRWS Roundtable Indicators Meeting” on “Monitoring the Human Rights to Water and Sanitation in the Context of SDG6”,

July 2017 – WaterLex supported the IPU in the organization of the 2nd Middle East Roundtable for Water and Peace to discuss National Action Plans (NAP) for SDG6 implementation. WaterLex also built the capacity of parliamentarians of Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia on the role of “Parliaments and the implementation of SDG6”. It also advised the Indian Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (OSCPCR) in the development of the state policy for Children in Odisha.

Oct 2017 – WaterLex contributed as expert to the development of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights – regional declaration on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation (Link).

Partnership with law firm White&Case to scale up the publication of Country Legal Mapping – 19 Country Reports are released (Link)

Aug 2018 – 3 events on “Promoting Ecosystem Development and Human Rights” at World Water Week in Stockholm including an event with UN OHCHR providing visibility for marginalized groups, and the release of the UNDP Cap-Net training manual Indigenous Peoples and Integrated Water Resources Management

Feb 2019 – 1st World Summit on “Leaving No One Behind” in partnership with WMO, IWRA, WIPO and SDC (Event Brochure)
July 2020 – Release by the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR) of its Guidelines on the Right to Water (Press Release / Guidelines)

WaterLex Publications are referenced in UN (FAO) – Legislative Studies Series #113 – Download
Closing Assembly of WaterLex on 22 January 2020
Public release of Archive Website